There is just one week left until the curtain falls on 116 years of history. The JR Rumoi Line will be discontinued at the end of March.
What will become of the future of railways? Rice paddies covered with lingering snow. After departing Fukagawa, the train passes through one of Hokkaido’s leading rice-producing areas. There are only five stations between Fukagawa and Ishikari-Numata. The total length of the line is 14.4 kilometers, making the JR Rumoi Line the shortest “main line” in the country.
“Many railway fans are visiting Ishikari-Numata Station to ride the train before the line is discontinued,” (reporter Mio Gamo) “The best thing about it is being able to see the magnificent snowscape” “It’s sad that lines that were built at great risk are disappearing one after another. It’s a sign of the times, and it’s a shame that passengers only ride the train on occasions like this,” (both railway fans) The Rumoi Line will be discontinued on March 31st. At each station, railway fans were taking pictures of bulletin boards and station name signs, bidding farewell. In the shopping district in front of Ishikari-Numata Station, there are shops that have been in business since before the Rumoi Line was built. “It’s sad to see them go. This town developed around the station. W
hen the Rumoi Railway was built, everyone moved here and shops were established,” says Kiyohiko Koizumi. Koizumi Shoten was founded in 1894. As the Rumoi Line’s closure approaches, the third-generation owner, Kiyohiko Koizumi, recalls the lively atmosphere inside the train. “(The train) had coal stoves, so people would grill herring on them. A group of people would come from Rumoi and load up fish, which they would exchange for rice and other goods (in Numata town).” “In the summer, we would take the train to Mashike to go swimming in the sea, enjoying the peaceful rural scenery. Unlike around here, we would say, ‘Ah, the sea!’ Everyone was engrossed in the view, making a fuss,” says Koizumi.
The Rumoi Line opened in 1910. Seafood was transported from Rumoi City to the inland areas. From Numata town, coal, timber, and rice from the Showa Coal Mine were transported to Rumoi. However, as the coal mines closed one after another, the population in the surrounding area declined. The Rumoi Line has been gradually phased out so far, from Rumoi to Mashike and from Ishikari-Numata to Rumoi, and in March the Rumoi Line itself will disappear. “It’s faster (by train) from Fukagawa to Numata. It will become even more lonely (after the line is closed)” (a high school student from Numata town). The number of buses to Fukagawa will increase by four, bringing the total to ten, but… “We don’t have a car, so we use the train (for hospital visits, etc.). If it becomes a bus, I’ll take the first bus in the morning, get checked (at the hospital), and come back near evening” (a resident of Numata town).
As a result of discussions between JR and the local governments, all of the “red lines” with low passenger numbers have been decided to be abolished. There are also “yellow lines” with large deficits, and discussions are ongoing about whether to keep them open or abolish them.
“If we can find several elements in the review that make it easier to use than before, cheaper, and more convenient, we can considerably offset the disadvantages of its closure.” “It could even turn into a positive. We should have a more serious discussion about this.” (Yoshiharu Ishii, Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, Hokkaido University) Numata Town plans to keep Ishikari-Numata Station as a town hub even after the railway line is discontinued. “The pioneering spirit, it can’t be helped that it will disappear, but we have to think about how to develop and carry it on.” (Yoshiki Murakami, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team, Numata Town) The question is what to do with the railway lines left behind by our predecessors. The Rumoi Line will soon close its long history, but there are many other railway lines in Hokkaido whose continued existence is also in jeopardy. Currently, there are some lines for which a policy has not yet been decided whether to continue or discontinue. The lines shown in red in the image are being discontinued in stages, and with the discontinuation of the Rumoi Line at the end of March, all the lines in red in this category will be discontinued. The lines currently under consideration are those marked in yellow.
These lines have a higher transport density and more passengers than the lines marked in red, but their long track lengths and high maintenance costs result in many sections operating at a loss. Therefore, JR Hokkaido has been considering whether it will be possible to continue operating these lines, and had planned to finalize its policy by the end of this fiscal year. However, this plan was postponed last week, and it remains unclear when a decision will be made. The areas under consideration include Furano, sometimes referred to as the “second Niseko.” Regions like Furano have the potential to attract even more tourists, and local governments are making efforts to do so. JR Hokkaido is continuing discussions with local governments, and experts are hoping that discussions will also focus on improving the overall appeal of the surrounding areas.
